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IndoorsFree entry

Shankill Road Library

Belfast
Courtesy of Lisburn City Library

ENTRY

Free

SETTING

Indoors

WHERE

Belfast

What it’s like

Free story sessions, rhyme time and a proper book habit to build, all without spending a penny.

Story Time runs on Mondays for the 2 to 7 crowd, and it's the sort of half hour that gets a wriggly toddler sitting still, at least for a bit. Younger babies get their own slot too, Rhythm and Rhyme, packed with songs and rhymes for the 0 to 4s who just want to bounce along and clap.

Once your child's reading on their own, there's Chatter Books, a junior reading club aimed at 7 to 11 year olds who fancy talking about what they've read rather than just borrowing it and running off. And borrowing is free, obviously, so you can stock up on a stack of picture books without worrying about the cost.

The hours are a bit of a patchwork. There's wifi if you need to get some work done while the kids pick books, and a baby change and accessible toilet on site too.

It's all indoors, which makes it a solid pick when the weather's grim and you need somewhere warm and free to fill an hour. Nobody's rushing you out, and there's no booking link to fuss over, you just turn up for the sessions listed.

What’s on here

Facilities

Accessible toilet
Baby change
Hearing loop
Toilets
Wheelchair accessible
Wi-Fi

Need to know

Best for
0 to 11, with sessions split roughly by age
  • No booking link for the sessions, just turn up on the day
  • Saturday opening is short, just 9:30am to 1pm
  • Wednesday doesn't open until 1pm
  • Thursday's the late one, open till 8pm
  • There's a hearing loop and wifi if either matters to you

Plan your visit

Is it free to get in?

Yes, entry and book borrowing are both free.

Do we need to book for Story Time or Rhythm and Rhyme?

There's no booking link listed, so it looks like a turn-up-and-join-in situation.

What ages are the sessions for?

Story Time is for 2 to 7 year olds, Rhythm and Rhyme is for 0 to 4s, and Chatter Books suits 7 to 11 year olds.

What are the opening hours?

It varies by day: 9:30am to 5:30pm Monday, Tuesday and Friday, 1pm to 5:30pm Wednesday, 12 noon to 8pm Thursday, and 9:30am to 1pm Saturday.

Is there anywhere to change a baby?

There's a baby change on site along with an accessible toilet.

Can adults use the library outside normal hours?

There's an out of hours service for over-18s only, with self-service access to wifi, printing, study space and book borrowing.

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